Which to use
“Schafe” and “Schande” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,390
- “Schafe” frequency rank
- #5,216
- “Schande” frequency rank
- 12606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schafe | Schande |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Schaf | etwas, was jemandem in seinem Ansehen stark schadet |
Where the eye mixes Schafe and Schande
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Schafe runs 6 letters (CCCVCV) against Schande's 7 (CCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Schafe and Schande
A purely visual mix-up. Schafe ([ˈʃaːfə]) and Schande ([ˈʃandə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schafe is recorded at frequency rank #7,390, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaːfə]. Schande is at rank #5,216, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃandə].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 12606, this pair ranks #1,963,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schafe vs Schande
Shared letters: acehs. Private to "Schafe": f. Private to "Schande": dn.
"Schafe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Schande" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schafe" and "Schande" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schafe" or "Schande"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schafe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schande" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schafe" and "Schande" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schafe vs Schläfer". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,963,162 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.